Evidence is emerging that early interventions could prevent the onset of schizophrenia or reduce its impact on cognitive function, according to Dr. Matcheri S. Keshavan, who talked with our reporter Miriam E. Tucker at the Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference.

Although schizophrenia tends to manifest later in life — typically not until late adolescence or early adulthood — evidence suggests that brain changes actually occur much earlier in life among those destined to develop the disease, said Dr. Keshavan, who is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and vice-chair of public psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Massachusetts Mental Health Center, all in Boston.

Dr. Keshavan discussed ways to identify individuals who may go on to develop schizophrenia and potential early interventions to prevent the onset or reduce the cognitive impact of the illness potential early interventions to prevent the onset or reduce the cognitive impact of the illness.